Pretty cool episode all in all, especially liked seeing Shintaro seemingly before his 2 year shut in period. Explicit confirmation on Sensei dude being Ayano's father is nice, and it looks almost certain that Ene/Konoha are Takane/Haruka, respectively.

Something which grabbed my attention is the small bit right at the end, where Haruka is slumped over and seems rather breathless. Now, being an asthma sufferer, this immediately struck me as some sort of episode or attack - I've suffered from an asthma attack before, and Takane specifically noted that Haruka was particularly sickly priod in the episode to this occurring. This makes me wonder - have certain Mekakushi Dan members technically died in order to gain their powers? The Haruka we see in this episode and the Konoha we see in later episodes are fundamentally different - one has a sickly, ailing body which can't achieve much physically, while the other is almost fundamentally opposite, bordering on superhuman. It almost strikes me as some sort of rebirth process, and the comment from Takane nearer the end somewhat confirmed for me that it's likely Haruka ends up dying. On top of that, we have the whole 'world is ending' aspect which seems to imply Takane may well die, as well as the fact Hiyori/Hibiya seem to be trapped within a hell wherein each of them constantly die, and we know that Hibiya is eventually brought into the Dan, implying he has some sort of eye power.

Disclaimer: I don't think Haruka actually suffers from asthma. I'm just using the comparative between his breathless episode and an asthma attack to try and rationalise what I thought was happening as a serious medical episode.

The Headphone Actor/Yuukei Yesterday saga is admittedly not one of my favorites, and after what happened with Kagerou Days I've dialed back my expectations so I can't say I was really disappointed. What we got was cute but very filler-y, much like episode 02. I understand what Jin-SHAFT is doing and why, I'm just... Getting tired of waiting for interesting stuff to happen. =/ And what should've already been interesting on its own (Kagerou Days) they somehow made... Not. All the stories in Kagepro have the potential to be entertaining/engaging/endearing, but it feels kinda wasted at this point. The animé simply seems to serve the purpose of showing off the songs in animated form - and it's not even very good animation. (It was better this week, but still some QUALITY questions such as "How is Haruka even sitting in this chair?" Also it looked like he was barely moving his arms when chasing after Shintaro. >.> Although maybe making him walk like a robot was intentional... *shot*) The only thing it really brings to the table is the OST. If I wanted to see the story fully connected with decent art I may as well just read the manga... It's not that great-looking either but at least it takes its time to develop the characters, despite also feeling slow and drawn out.

Even though they cut the OP/ED and other parts of the story for time the episode felt quite rushed. And yet the pacing of the overall plot is still progressing at a snail's pace. We're at the halfway point now, seriously. I really wish this had been given 24 episodes... Or at least swapped with Hanamonogatari (which is airing on August 16th of all dates *shakes head*) so more budget could be devoted to it. =3= But hey, I'm a dedicated fan so of course I want only the best for my baby. *shrug* Maybe I'm the one being too harsh/demanding. As it is though it feels like it's going to be another Little Busters! adaptation all over again - something I wanted badly to adore for its themes/promising source material but just didn't deliver as well as I'd hoped.

That being said, as a fan there were little things that I liked. Takane's shyness was a surprise but super-cute. Curtain Caped crusader was cool too.

Seeing younger Kido and Shintaro and their actions/weapon choices in the game was also fun. Kido with a sword and Shin with a sniper rifle... So cool. <3

Wipe that cheeky smirk off your face, you jerk.

Then all the "Yuukei Quartet" stuff jammed in during the credits... Still not enough tsundere. Buddha Haruka amuses me though.

In the end, I still appreciate the animé and what it's trying to achieve. Right now I feel a lot like Ayano though... Watching over a close friend and hoping he makes a good impression to a stranger but knowing he probably won't but it's okay I still love him anyway.

To make up for the lack of songs last episode, today we've got two inserts. The first one, Headphone Actor, has only been glanced over so I won't link it just yet. The majority of the episode is actually comprised of Yuukei Yesterday. (Look out, Vanilla Salt, there's a new tsundere song in town! *shot*)

It's kind of confusing but not really. Definitely a clear time loop going on. But I don't get the guy. Why's he in love with a cute but mean girl? Why's he letting her grind him into paste, when he showed some resilience in asking his samurai Dad to go live with her? How old are these kids anyway?

I actually liked this episode. It was pretty interesting on how they introduced two characters, Takane and Haruka, who are almost definitely Ene/Konoha themselves. The Sensei-Ayano theory was also confirmed, and this episode showed off some Shintaro and Ayano backstory as well.

So Ene was Takane's game name. It seems to connect Ene as being Takane herself, since it was unlikely how Takane would feel the need to get closer to Shintaro via Ene anyways. However, this draws questions. If Takane was Ene, why didn't Ene spill the beans about her being his friend? I have a feeling that something I posted a few posts ago would come in relevant (the part where in Shintaro's run-in with Konoha, Haruka disappeared, then Takane). How did Ene even get there in the first place? I think the goushuujin-thing could be a reference to how Ene calls Shintaro.

Haruka, wow, this entire time I was like Dentoooooo. It seems that something would happen to him at the end. I'm probably with Connor on him getting an asthma-attack, with Haruka's ominous lines in the preview for the next episode. The beginning of the episode could also be dropping hints on the feeling of 'the world is crumbling down' from Takane's perspective. There was another visual easter egg in the beginning, the shadows mimicking a clock and time going backwards. I find it strikingly similar with the cemetery, which I suppose some deaths could be happening.

Also, I have to disagree with Yuki's thoughts on this episode. While Ep 6 was by no means the best episode in my opinion, it was definitely leagues better than Ep 2 or Ep 4 (despite Momoobs in the former, sadly). This episode wasn't a complete 'LOL RANDOM INSERT' in comparison with the second or fourth episode, and instead is spent expanding on the characters' backstories while introducing new elements and dimensions to the plot. We are given relations of Shintaro/Ayano/Ene/Konoha in a sense, while it doesn't completely blurts it out. It's definitely one of the more speculation-possible episodes so far, and compared to Ep 2 and Ep 4 it's miles better.

Which brings me to one complaint - Episode 4's placement. It has been two episodes since the Hibiya/Hiyori plot got touched on. The placing of the episode felt wrong and random, and in my opinion it rather jumbled up the flow of the plot, making it feel awkward. At least Episode 2 was linked to Episode 3 directly, which in turn is linked to Episode 1's entire plot. While Episode 1 brings thing to Episode 5, which was essentially the tie-in into Episode 6. I felt that Episode 6 was done well, since the "Ayano-chan?" kept me pretty interested in seeing Ene's past. Had it been place in episode 2 or 4, this episode would be pretty low on my list. However, Episode 4 - wow. It was awkward and did not flow into anything well. And it seems like it won't be for a bit, with next episode being the conclusion of this episode, "Kagerou Days", the 'signature', is left in an awkward spot. They could've easily brought it until later. If they do the episode-tie up at 8, many would've forgotten about the plot 4 episodes ago. Yes, poor placement.

---

Also spot Hiyori/Hibiya in the background, and Sensei with red eyes. Maybe something happens that involves them? I'm rather dubious on the accuracy of the 'preview cards' though, since they seem to be more art than plot-related content.

Went and listened to the preview as well. There was someone that said "why did you die, neechan?". Sounds like Shintaro. So I'm assuming that something happens to Takane as well? I doubt he'd call Ayano "neechan", especially since they're the same age. Or the main possibility is that the voice isn't Shintaro. There was also a fourth voice, who I don't think we've heard before. Not too sure if it's Sensei, but it doesn't sound like him. Or maybe something's wrong with my ears, haha.

I won't lie about this episode, this was definitely the worst of the entire season so far. There was just so much that I really couldn't stand about it.

Hibiya: Hibiya seemed pretty normal during Episode 2. He wasn't anything to write home about...but he wasn't like he was in Episode 4. I can't stand Hibiya. Everything about him is just so...ugh. He's a complete pussy. No really, he's afraid of dogs. That makes him a cat. :3 I don't like how he grovels and basically lives as a slave under Hiyori. He, so far, is the most unlikeable character of Mekakucity so far.

Hiyori: Let me get this out of the way first: Hiyori is pretty cute. Now that is out of the way, she's also a massive bitch. I heard from Yuki that she really wasn't like this in the manga, which so far is my only hope for the character as I can't stand her personality at all. She's completely cruel to Hibiya, to the point where I feel sorry for him. She doesn't show any kindness at all...well maybe except to Konoha.

Animation: BLEH. I was fine with Shaft's artsiness for the previous three episodes, but this felt so rushed, so cheap, so utterly uninspiring that I hated it. One of the things I don't like to see is completely off perspectives, and in this episode its rife with them. The fucking pipes...the part where she falls off a bridge where the staircase apparently is mid-air and the entirety of the time loop thing I feel could have been better explained. Instead, the incredibly distracting animation really took away from the episode. I feel it could have been interesting, and it could have made me sympathize more with the characters, but Shaft just did a really poor job this episode.

It wasn't a total loss though. We met Konoha, who is a pretty interesting character in himself.

This episode was far better than the last, thank god. I don't get why people found the first half annoying. I found it hilarious. Maybe its because I'm apparently a weird person who has fallen in love with Ene! Anyways, the latter half of this episode was extremely interesting and gave us some really cool insights into the plot, which is good.

Plus, I love when Kano goes "we are just getting started" and has a very Gilgamesh like moment there. It's pretty awesome.

Also, a theory of mine has popped up. When Konoha jumped over Shintaro...his eye turned red for a moment, and then he saw...something. A flashback? A memory? I wonder if Shin's eye power is the ability to see into the past. That might not have necessarily been his own memory (though the given conclusion is that it could be since it was most likely seen from his POV)

I said to Yuki before I watched this episode that one of those things was going to happen after I watched it.

I was either going to love this episode

Or, I was going to absolutely hate it and everything it stood for.

I knew going into it we were likely to get a lot of information on who Ene was previously (or at least that's my theory, that Ene = said mystery girl)...and I don't know after this episode whether there is more evidence for my theory or for Talon's. But anyways, I found Takane to be incredibly, incredibly, incredibly adorkable awesome. If she really is trapped in cyberspace and became Ene, I really wouldn't be surprised if it wiped her memory, since the two of them are pretty different. Takane is a lot more shy. It's actually a good bit more realistic than Ene's personality is, but I like them both anyways. Haruka is also really cool...and its rather obvious that its Konoha.

Ene and Konoha make a cameo...as online avatars. Which makes me wonder if I'm right, but I still think that Ene is a little bit too human to just be a construct of Takane. The other cameos were also cool (interesting seeing that Kano...hasn't changed at all.) Shy Kido best Kido.

The ending was...really confusing. I thought that Haruka died! Why are they in a class alone together anyways? It doesn't make sense.

This. episode. was. fantastic. Well, fantastic for Mekakucity Actors, anyway. ^^; But who am I kidding: I was pretty giddy during this episode at a number of points. Episode 06 didn't just break the Even Episode Curse: it smashed it. Flashback episodes are risky business, rife with potential to mess things up, but man if this flashback episode didn't do everything right. The right level of information ... the right level of intrigue ... the right level of "OMG! >D< *squee*" moments ... just really, really fantastic stuff.

It didn't start off that way though. Not one and a half minutes into the episode, I had it on pause as I furiously and flurriously fired off a PM to Yuki complaining about Shaft once again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talon87

So, this is the problem with Shaft's artistic masturbation. :\ When I can't tell whether what I'm watching should be taken literally or not; and when it very much matters to the story, in an enormous way, whether what I am watching is literally happening or not; and when worrying about this distracts me constantly during the episode, ensuring I miss the self-satisfying smugart they've placed in here; and when I feel compelled to pause the episode to ask you to tell me whether what I am watching is really happening or not: that, my friend, is the sign of superficial artistic pursuits sabotaging the greater artistic endeavors of the team's.

Unpausing. Already in an unpleasant mood now because of this. Blegh. Hopefully the plot will rescue this episode and fast.

I am not someone who hates art. I love art. I spend so much of my waking day collecting pictures, reading printed stories, watching animated or filmed stories, and so on. But man if I do not loathe "art for art's sake." Man if it doesn't piss me off something royal when somebody forces art, when they try their hardest to be artistic and so they end up forcing a bunch of bullshit on the audience instead of just letting things happen naturally.

And, specifically with animation, man if I don't hate it when artistic endeavors get in the way of storytelling. I'm here for your Blue Eyes the story, old man, and I won't take no artsy fartsy bullshit for an answer! A good soundtrack isn't simply good music: it's good music that complements what it's set against, it's music that doesn't distract the audience (for worse or for better!), it's music used as a tool rather than as a centerpiece. The same thing goes for animation and cinematography. Yes, you can try to be all fucking poetic with your animation, showing buildings crumbling to the ground "to represent the turmoil in her heart. ¯_¯" You can show fires and explosions "representing the volatile nature of her feelings. ¯_¯" You can show "a yellow sky meant to represent the fear and uncertainty in her heart, for yellow is the color of fear and uncertainty. ¯_¯" But when you place the "SHAFT" in "PHALLIC SHAFT" with your goddamn obnoxious "I can be an artist too :3" forced attempts at art and you distract and confuse, that's not cool, man! That's not cool. I shouldn't have to ask whether what I am watching is metaphorical or literal. I shouldn't be distracted from the plot to have to wonder, "Is she really running for her life through a ghost town that is falling to pieces? Or is this all symbolism? " If you can't make it clearer that it's symbolism, then don't piss about doing it.

Yikes. ^_^; So for someone who was so turned off by the presentation of that initial scene, how was this episode to have any hope for salvation?

Heeh? :o

Heeeeeh? :o

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!? :O

Yeah. This is how you do it: good story, good characters, exciting appearances, satisfying information, romance, and a dash of moe. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's handle these one piece at a time.

Enomoto Takane is much more likeable than Ene the artificial intelligence is. I'm not going to claim that Takane is my favorite Kagerou -- she isn't -- or that she's my favorite female Kagerou either, but I definitely like Takane much more than I do the unbearable Ene. And I think a lot of why I like Takane has to do with the biggest complaint I levied against Ene: Takane feels like an actual person and not like a caricature of one. I mean, give credit where credit is due! If that was Jin's / Shaft's plan all along -- if they deliberately set about trying to make Ene feel "more like a living cartoon character than like a true blue human being" -- then mission fucking accomplished, guys. In Takane, I feel like we find "the real Ene," a person who bears a bit in common with the artificial intelligence yet who is in many more ways different and more real. Takane has little tolerance for other people's bullshit. She isn't the brightest, even if she is incredibly talented in certain fields. She has a guy she likes but is too afraid to tell him; while she's loud-mouthed just like the A.I. Ene, Takane is remarkably shy at times, something hard to imagine of her outlandish counterpart. I could go on and on about the differences between Takane and A.I. Ene, but let's move on for now to our next character: Haruka.

This guy was such a surprise. Just like Hiyori (who felt like a tenth Kagerou who had just appeared from out of nowhere), Haruka is someone whose very existence I never imagined. I was certain that the person in the flashback we saw last week was either Shintarou or else Konoha. This week's episode reveals that it is Konoha ... sort of. ^^; If Konoha turns out to be a robot, then Haruka is clearly the real-live boy upon whom Konoha was based. If instead Konoha turns out to be real, then it's very probable that Haruka lost his memories and was "reborn" (be it temporarily or permanently) as Konoha. Either way, the boys are similar yet different. Konoha speaks much more softly, slowly, and simply. Haruka speaks more like a normal person. He's still quieter than, say, an Ene or a Momo, but he's plenty louder and more energetic than a Kido or a Marry. Konoha exhibits superhuman strength when his eyes turn red. Haruka, as if a foil for Konoha, has the opposite problem: crises of physical weakness. Konoha has memory problems and as a result seems to behave stupidly (e.g. going to use the toilet in a bathroom without any toilet in it); Haruka, by contrast, is established to be academically gifted. The boys aren't night and day opposites, but they're clearly not the same exact person either. It's interesting. It's very, very interesting. Whether Haruka turns out to be the base upon which Robot Konoha was based or whether Haruka turns out to be the original identity that belonged to the meatbag now known as Konoha, it's still interesting to discover that once upon a time there was this entity named "Haruka" whose existence I didn't know about until now and who, somehow, is going to lead me to this other existence named "Konoha" whom I've known about for weeks.

I hadn't noticed it until now with Konoha, but Haruka at least is clearly voiced by Miyano Mamoru, a.k.a. the voice of Dent from Pokémon: Best Wishes and of Suou Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club. At a number of times in the episode, Haruka would perform certain "Mamoru-isms" that evoked a warm little sense of nostalgia in me. Miyano Mamoru's voice was a part of my weekly experience for three years, from Fall 2010 when Best Wishes started airing to Fall 2013 when it wrapped up. The last time I heard his voice was several months ago in the Best Wishes special with Dent and Brock. When you're used to hearing a voice once a week every week for three years, then even not hearing it for a couple of months can feel like forever. He's not my favorite voice actor by any means but his roles as Dent and Suou have definitely endeared him to me. It's fun to have him along as Haruka.

I'm a sucker for romance and by golly if I didn't just devour Takane x Haruka. I absolutely loved these two. The episode was lopsided in favor of exploring Takane, both as a character and as one half of a romance pair, but I still feel like we got enough to work with out of Haruka to form an initial impression of this couple. I can definitely, definitely say that I ship Takane x Haruka -- so much so that I won't allow any other pairs to get in the way. If Ene wants to fall in love with somebody different, that's her business so long as she's a bonafide A.I. and isn't simply an avatar for Enomoto Takane. If Konoha wants to be romantically uninvolved, that's his prerogative so long as he's a robot and so long as it doesn't get in the way of Haruka partnering up with Takane. But if Takane is Ene ... and if Konoha is Haruka ... then step aside, Shintarou! Fuck you, Hiyori! It's Takane x Haruka or bust!

Up through last week, I'd wondered about the possibility that Konoha might be an android. Last week, I advanced the theory with a little bit of gusto. This week, with the introduction of Haruka, I feel like we have to consider a new possibility. I've already mentioned it a lot in this post, but I want to take the time now to really, really explore both options.

At the end of Episode 06, Haruka appears to be suffering from a medical crisis. It's vague (DAMN YOU, SHAFT! ) and it's quite possible that all he was doing was crying and/or having a panic attack, but it looks like his chest is causing him pain, he's bowled over from difficulty breathing, and, well, like I said -- he's having a medical crisis. Near the start of Episode 06, we learn that the enigmatic science teacher -- one Tateyama Kenjirou by name, it would seem all but confirmed at this point -- is a remarkably talented computer programmer, able to craft a compelling FPS from scratch in just a matter of days. Putting these pieces of information together, we have two real powerful possibilities with the mysterious Konoha.

Possibility 1: as previously stated, Konoha is a robot. This theory would hold that Konoha is an android built in Haruka's image, his design inspired by the avatar Haruka crafted for the one shooting game that he ended up playing together with Takane. His creator would likely be either Tateyama alone, Tateyama with Haruka, or all three of Tateyama, Haruka, and Takane working together. I would place my money on Tateyama working alone. And my theory would be that Haruka dies and that Tateyama then created Konoha in his pupil's memory.

Possibility 2: as recently stated, Konoha is Haruka. This theory would hold that Konoha is not a robot but that he is instead either a cyborg (at worst/most invasive) or else simply a mind-controlled human (at best/least invasive). The theory can veer off into several different directions from here.

One subpossibility is that Haruka still died and that Tateyama pulled a Dr. Frankenstein and used Haruka's dead body to give life to the being known as Konoha. Creepy.

Another subpossibility is that Haruka suffered a medical crisis but that he did not die (or that even if he technically died he was resuscitated very quickly); however, as a result of his medical crisis, he suffered memory loss and was "reborn" as Konoha.

A third subpossibility is that Haruka's body is perfectly fine (if frail) and that Tateyama used mind-enslaving headphones to override Haruka's real personality with this impostor "Konoha" personality. Again, creepy. ^^;

I'm sure there are other possibilities there too, but the point is that they all have one thread in common: the boy we now know as Konoha has the very same body as the boy that Takane knew as Haruka two years ago. Whether she'll be able to be reunited with Haruka or not remains to be seen. I'm hoping that she will be. I'll be crushed if Haruka's dead, is permanently replaced by Konoha, and so there goes Takane x Haruka with it.

I'll say this though: if Haruka does indeed die, and if Tateyama does indeed attempt to bring him back to life (and in so doing produces Konoha), it sure would make sense given Connor's theory about Tateyama being Ayano's father. I'm convinced Connor's right, and if he's right then we can assume (as much as it may be a huge cliché) that a scientifically gifted father might be trying to find ways to bring back the dead such that he can bring his little girl back to life. That could go a long way to explaining why we have Konoha now. Haruka died, Sensei used magic headphones to bring him back to life, he did so imperfectly, and so instead of having Zombie Haruka we have a new being known as "Konoha" who resembles Haruka in some ways but is completely different in others. A failed experiment. Not what Tateyama seeks if his goal is to perfectly resurrect Ayano.

Not to go too far down the rabbit hole, but this also introduces an eerie possibility with Hiyori: what if Tateyama is planning on using Hiyori's body as a vessel for Ayano's soul? In other words, what if he plans to bring back his daughter by having her soul go into Hiyori's body? I'm probably barking up the waaaaaaay wrong tree here , but just throwing it out there because weeeeee it's fun to speculate with these mystery series.

* * * INTERMISSION * * *

Okay, let's look at some of the other parts of this episode. We've got a lot of ground to cover yet!

Kido was one hell of a surprise this episode. When she showed up, I still wasn't certain that what we were watching was a flashback. For all I knew, this was Kido's and Kano's idea of going in undercover to try and root out Takane and reveal that she's the real Ene. (At the time I watched the episode, it didn't occur to me that Takane, as the real Ene, would've recognized these clowns immediately and accordingly done her best to avoid blowing her cover, thus making the hypothetical operation foolish.) So here we have a Kido who I'm not quite sure is a flashback Kido or an incognito Kido from the present. All I know is, she's behaving remarkably shyly.

And goddamn if that wasn't adorable. Fans of Suzumiya Haruhi will know what I'm talking about when I say that Moe Shy Kido was in many ways enjoyable the same as Nagato Yuki in Disappearance. It was incredible, adorable, remarkable -- all these things -- to see a Kido before us who was clearly Kido and yet so clearly different from the Kido we normally know. Where present-day Kido is a confident, socially brave leader, the Kido we see here is paralytically shy, barely able to maintain eye contact with anyone. Where Kano's aggressive teasing in the present day is met with swift physical responses, the gentlest of admonishments in the past nearly brought poor Kido to tears. Veeeeeeeery interesting, veeeeeeeeeery fun to see a side of Kido like this.

P.S. We learn this week that Kido's name is Tsubomi. Like a flower bud. Aww.

It was fun to see Kano too. He didn't seem that different himself from the Kano we know today; however, it was clear from his interactions with Kido that Kano used to be more of the emotionally strong one, there for the weaker Kido to cry on, as contrasted with his role today as being more of Kido's punching bag. This further accentuates the bond that these two have; while I know some people say that they ship Kano with other characters, I don't see how it's possible to ship either Kido or Kano with anyone else but each other. Even if they're not in love, they are one hell of a brother-sister combination.

I'm not really sure where Kido and Kano wandered in from or why they were present. It would strike me as strange if they were already in foster care with Ayano's family seeing as they seemed to be a separate group from her and Shintarou. (Indeed, we don't see Kido and Kano in the later flashback sequences which depict Takane, Haruka, Tateyama, Ayano, and Shintarou all hanging out together.) But it strikes me as no less strange that these two orphans would've wandered into a high school's festival all by themselves.

I still can't get over how cat-like Kano's eyes are. Those narrow irises, man. Reminds me once again of the cat we saw in the Hibiya episode. I said it before, I'll say it again: wouldn't be surprised if the cat ties back in to Kano and he was making people perceive him as a cat rather than as the human being he really is.

When Ayano and Shintarou first showed up at 15m02s, that was the straw that broke one of two camels' backs. The first camel, the one whose back hadn't yet been broken, was the one wondering whether this was a flashback episode or not. Lots of stuff that came before had supported the belief, and seeing Ayano with Shintarou very strongly supported it, but it wasn't until Takane's bet with Shintarou that I knew. (See Shintarou discussion below.) But the second camel was the one that, I guess you could say, represented this episode being a bad episode. That is to say, with each straw of goodness that piled onto the camel's back, he became more and more strained. But despite the many previous good straws -- Takane, Haruka, Moe Kido -- that stubborn camel kept his wobbly legs upright and refused to buckle. It wasn't until Ayano and Shintarou's arrival that the poor camel said, "I can't take any more! @[email protected]" and collapsed to the ground, exhausted. The episode was officially a great episode.

And while Eerie Ayano is neato, and while we haven't mentioned Shintarou yet, I've gotta go ahead and say that ...

... adorable flashback Ayano is HRNNNNNNNNNNNNGH so adorable! >.< Nakahara Mai isn't my favorite voice actress in the whole wide world -- I really disliked Furukawa Nagisa in Clannad, for instance, and a big part of the reason was just how whiny and how much of a baby she sounded like! -- but man oh man if Nakahara isn't blowing it out of the park as Ayano. Love her voice here. Love her voice here. So cute. So, so cute.

Flashback Ayano was just as fun as Flashback Kido, possibly even moreso because of how unbelievably adorable she was, for much the same reason as Kido: it was such a surprise. The Ayano we've seen so far has been cloaked in mystery, speaks in riddles, and committed suicide. She's a serious character attached to intrigues of serious tone. But the Ayano we see in this flashback is like the magical product of Furukawa Nagisa and Miura Azusa. It's like you've got the cuteness of Nagisa without any of the obnoxious babyness; and you've got the waifuness of Azusa without any of the silliness. It's hard to imagine this girl killing herself. It will be fascinating, if very sad, to see what drove her to it.

Flashback Shintarou was quite the character too. I like Shintarou in the present, honest I do, but man if Flashback Shintarou wasn't an asshole! ^^; There's being cocky and then there's being mean cocky! Shintarou was mean cocky! Why did he have to be so denigrating towards Takane? What did he gain from humiliating her so badly in front of Haruka? It's not like Takane had been smug about being 2nd place in the national tournament. In fact, she'd downright gone out of her way to hide the fact! Why then did Shintarou feel the need to put her in her place and so utterly demolish her at her own game?

I'm intrigued to learn what Shintarou's power is. Shaft being Shaft, they love laying easter eggs and clues along the paths of their episodes. I don't think making an obvious deal about Kido's cheating was an accident: I think it was an obvious setup to lead us to wonder as to whether Shintarou later cheated himself using his own red eye powers. If so, what then are his powers? Do they tie in to how he got on top of that citadel? Do they tie in to how quickly he was able to fire the gun? We'll just have to wait and see.

Like I mentioned earlier, Ene's bet with Shintarou was what sealed the deal for me that this was a flashback episode. Everything else that pointed to it being a flashback -- Haruka's presence, Takane in a school uniform she should've long since graduated from, Kido's odd behavior, even Ayano's physical presence -- all of these things could've been explained away one way or another. But when Takane tells Shintarou that if she loses she'll agree to refer to him as "Master," that was what sealed the deal. That was when I knew for certain that we were witnessing events that took place several years ago in the KagePro timeline. It was one hell of an exciting moment. I felt like I was witnessing the birth of Ene -- or quite possibly Takane's transformation into Ene. Very exciting stuff.

The final portion of the episode left me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I'm sad that the end of the episode was a rushed montage of scenes. Shaft was obviously pressed for time -- this week's episode skipped the OP and ED credits as well as the usual fairy tale segment -- but it still would've been nice if we could've properly seen the next school year play out, Shintarou's and Ayano's first year in high school and Takane's and Haruka's second or third.

But on the other hand, I was really delighted by this segment. For starters, the song felt like it symbolically fit the scene by virtue of how night-and-day opposite Enomoto Takane's personality it seemed to be. The Takane we'd met in the episode had been bitchy, hardcore, serious, etc. Yet this song sounded like a tropical smile! It really showed just how much Takane's next year of life (between meeting Ayano and Haruka's possible medical crisis) was magical to her, was like a vacation to the tropics for her soul.

Getting to see Tateyama join the kids in a number of scenes, namely the snowball fight, not only shows that he was "one of the gang" despite the decades that separated him from the other children but I guess also shows how much of a surrogate father he was to these kids. Despite some of my earlier ramblings about possibly sinister doings by our good friend the science teacher, I'd like to think that scenes like the snowball fight scene show that Tateyama is a good person who genuinely loves children and wants to be their friend, their mentor, their crutch, etc.

Kinda surprised that if Ayano and Takane knew each other so well (as clearly they did) that Ayano wouldn't have invited Takane to join the red eyes club. In fact, it's still strange to me that a piece of software like Ene got to join even though she shouldn't have red eyes (and certainly hasn't demonstrated having them yet). Takane on the other hand very well could. Anyway, I'm speculating about Ayano having not invited Takane simply because we've been told by Kido that the Blindfold Brigade was founded by Ayano and that its first three recruits were Kido, Kano, and Seto, with Marry being the fourth recruit and -- years later -- Momo the fifth. How strange then that Ayano wouldn't have invited Takane! Guess we'll find out more on this later, e.g. if it's confirmed that Takane doesn't have the red eyes ability despite being a major character in the story whereas the artificial intelligence based on her does.

* * * CONCLUSION * * *

Man! I feel like there is still so much more I want to say, stuff I've forgotten about from Saturday evening. But this post has already gotten so long that I fear the only person who will read every single word without skimming is Yuki. Soooooooooo I should wrap it up here if I don't want to lose even her attention. But yeah. One last time, I'll say that Episode 06 was a great episode. Maybe not "great" amongst the giants of my anime-watching career, but certainly a great episode for Mekakucity Actors. It's great to see that the curse has been demolished. Here's hoping that every episode from here on out is just as good as Episode 06 if not better.

* * * EPILOGUE * * *

... okay, so, a few final thoughts that didn't really fit in anywhere above. ^^; These are things I noted on Saturday that I forgot to incorporate into this post. So, without further ado, here goes!

I wrote at length about the possibility that Tateyama is Konoha's creator (be a robot, a Frankenstein's monster, a hypnotized boy, what have you). But I neglected to mention that I am also considering Tateyama a likely candidate for Ene's creator. And that's because, where we're sitting right now, we only really know for a fact that Tateyama is a remarkable computer programmer. We've assumed -- I've assumed -- that Takane is too, but the episode doesn't give us much to work with beyond Takane's surprise that Tateyama was able to produce an original FPS in less than two weeks. While she could be impressed by his skills as a fellow programmer, she could also be being impressed simply the way you or I would be. I'm not a programmer. Most people on UPN aren't programmers by hobby or trade. Yet we all appreciate that it takes a lot of talent to produce an FPS from scratch in just a few weeks. Maybe that's all that Takane was doing. And thus the episode gives us only that Takane is an expert FPS player, not that she's necessarily an expert computer programmer.

"When it comes to programming, you don't want to mess with me. " Tateyama says this of himself at the start of the episode. Another Shaft clue? Quite possibly. Couple this with the fact that Tateyama, not Takane, would've been the one to create the Ene inside of the shooting game and it seems all the more likely that the A.I. Ene we met at the start of the series was sent to Shintarou not by Enomoto Takane but by Tateyama Kenjirou. Well, again assuming his name is Tateyama Kenjirou. (Let's see Connor be proven right! We're so close! I'm already convinced he is right myself! C'mon, Shaft, just confirm it already!)

It has not escaped my notice that August 15th keeps cropping up. It feels like this date is important for a number of reasons. Whether we'll find out that all August 15ths are linked together across time, whether the same August 15th keeps repeating over and over again (and it just so happens that Episode 06's final event takes place on August 15th several years ago), etc, who can say. Well, who amongst the unspoiled can say, anyway.

Also, I have to disagree with Yuki's thoughts on this episode. While Ep 6 was by no means the best episode in my opinion, it was definitely leagues better than Ep 2 or Ep 4 (despite Momoobs in the former, sadly). This episode wasn't a complete 'LOL RANDOM INSERT' in comparison with the second or fourth episode, and instead is spent expanding on the characters' backstories while introducing new elements and dimensions to the plot. We are given relations of Shintaro/Ayano/Ene/Konoha in a sense, while it doesn't completely blurts it out. It's definitely one of the more speculation-possible episodes so far, and compared to Ep 2 and Ep 4 it's miles better.

I mentioned this to Talon on Skype last night, but I guess part of the reason I assumed people would think this is filler is because I knew what would happen so none of it came as a surprise to me. I didn't really think about it from a newbie's perspective. But you're right, to anyone unspoiled this does reveal a lot about the character relationships and open up to speculation, as you've all proven. ='3

Hiyori: Let me get this out of the way first: Hiyori is pretty cute. Now that is out of the way, she's also a massive bitch. I heard from Yuki that she really wasn't like this in the manga, which so far is my only hope for the character as I can't stand her personality at all. She's completely cruel to Hibiya, to the point where I feel sorry for him. She doesn't show any kindness at all...well maybe except to Konoha.

I didn't say Hiyori was really different in the manga... Just that the animé chooses to only focus on her worst traits, whereas even the way they were presented in the manga was more lighthearted/endearing. In a "tsuntsun" sort of way.

Gotta say though, reading "Kagerou Days" from Hibiya's perspective in the novel is turning me off his character even more...

I do wish the animé was more clear about these things so I don't feel like I'm spoiling by even soft-confirming. The manga went more into detail on their medical conditions. It's a "special needs" class - though tbh I'm not sure how their circumstances really warrant "special needs" - and if they are considered so then why there are only two students. *shrug* To make way for shipping I guess.

I am not someone who hates art. I love art. I spend so much of my waking day collecting pictures, reading printed stories, watching animated or filmed stories, and so on. But man if I do not loathe "art for art's sake." Man if it doesn't piss me off something royal when somebody forces art, when they try their hardest to be artistic and so they end up forcing a bunch of bullshit on the audience instead of just letting things happen naturally.

And, specifically with animation, man if I don't hate it when artistic endeavors get in the way of storytelling. I'm here for your Blue Eyes the story, old man, and I won't take no artsy fartsy bullshit for an answer! A good soundtrack isn't simply good music: it's good music that complements what it's set against, it's music that doesn't distract the audience (for worse or for better!), it's music used as a tool rather than as a centerpiece. The same thing goes for animation and cinematography. Yes, you can try to be all fucking poetic with your animation, showing buildings crumbling to the ground "to represent the turmoil in her heart. ¯_¯" You can show fires and explosions "representing the volatile nature of her feelings. ¯_¯" You can show "a yellow sky meant to represent the fear and uncertainty in her heart, for yellow is the color of fear and uncertainty. ¯_¯" But when you place the "SHAFT" in "PHALLIC SHAFT" with your goddamn obnoxious "I can be an artist too :3" forced attempts at art and you distract and confuse, that's not cool, man! That's not cool. I shouldn't have to ask whether what I am watching is metaphorical or literal. I shouldn't be distracted from the plot to have to wonder, "Is she really running for her life through a ghost town that is falling to pieces? Or is this all symbolism? " If you can't make it clearer that it's symbolism, then don't piss about doing it.

On the subject of SHAFT, I want to take the opportunity to point out something I haven't had a chance to bring up in the thread yet (screencap from episode 05 I think):

So now we know SHAFT's version of the story takes place 200 years in the future, which explains all the high-tech gadgets. (...And yet Hibiya is still using a CD player. Will there even be iPods that far from now? >.>; )

Drawing back to the topic at the hand (but still somewhat of a tangent), I do want to say I appreciate that at least SHAFT's interior design tastes have improved recently. XP Marry's room looked fairly normal aside from the weird shelves, and the class/science room seemed completely standard for a school in episode 06 - if actually a bit cramped despite having only two desks thanks to Sensei's huge specimen collection.

P.S. FYI the dorky plaid pajama uniforms are part of the original design, as seen in the Yuukei Yesterday PV. Can't even imagine why Shin would want to wear that thing... *shot*

Anyway, back to your point about the armageddon opening: All I can say is that it portrayed exactly what the lyrics described, and the songs are the source of canon so...

Enomoto Takane is much more likeable than Ene the artificial intelligence is. I'm not going to claim that Takane is my favorite Kagerou -- she isn't -- or that she's my favorite female Kagerou either, but I definitely like Takane much more than I do the unbearable Ene. And I think a lot of why I like Takane has to do with the biggest complaint I levied against Ene: Takane feels like an actual person and not like a caricature of one. I mean, give credit where credit is due! If that was Jin's / Shaft's plan all along -- if they deliberately set about trying to make Ene feel "more like a living cartoon character than like a true blue human being" -- then mission fucking accomplished, guys. In Takane, I feel like we find "the real Ene," a person who bears a bit in common with the artificial intelligence yet who is in many more ways different and more real. Takane has little tolerance for other people's bullshit. She isn't the brightest, even if she is incredibly talented in certain fields. She has a guy she likes but is too afraid to tell him; while she's loud-mouthed just like the A.I. Ene, Takane is remarkably shy at times, something hard to imagine of her outlandish counterpart.

Takane's current grouchy demeanor stems at least in part from her medical condition. So if we're to talk about what her "real personality" is, perhaps it would resemble the bright and cheerful Ene more if she were healthy... Reflecting how you describe the Haruka-Konoha dynamic, they're not exactly polar opposites. Rather similar enough that they could still be considered the same person in a way, but "different" due to outside circumstances.

On the subject of shyness, I will say that Takane and (young) Kido are portrayed as shyer/more moe in the animé than their manga counterparts. (Kinda the opposite case of Marry.) Kido was more stoic and did give Kano a punch in the stomach for going on about her "weak presence". XP (As an aside, I am glad you've taken note of Kano's emotional maturity and the strong sibling relationship they have.) She still cried cutely when apologizing though and even made a girlish "Kyah!" when an enemy got near her face.

... adorable flashback Ayano is HRNNNNNNNNNNNNGH so adorable! >.< Nakahara Mai isn't my favorite voice actress in the whole wide world -- I really disliked Furukawa Nagisa in Clannad, for instance, and a big part of the reason was just how whiny and how much of a baby she sounded like! -- but man oh man if Nakahara isn't blowing it out of the park as Ayano. Love her voice here. Love her voice here. So cute. So, so cute.

Flashback Ayano was just as fun as Flashback Kido, possibly even moreso because of how unbelievably adorable she was, for much the same reason as Kido: it was such a surprise. The Ayano we've seen so far has been cloaked in mystery, speaks in riddles, and committed suicide. She's a serious character attached to intrigues of serious tone. But the Ayano we see in this flashback is like the magical product of Furukawa Nagisa and Miura Azusa. It's like you've got the cuteness of Nagisa without any of the obnoxious babyness; and you've got the waifuness of Azusa without any of the silliness. It's hard to imagine this girl killing herself. It will be fascinating, if very sad, to see what drove her to it.

She is my favorite character in the entire series, and one of my overall favorites in fiction. I hope the animé dedicates proper time to explaining her actions.

On another note, will take the moment to redact one of my previous statements, as reading the fifth novel has changed my mind about Kano not being one of my favorites. Hrngh this series has a way of making me love each character more and more (well, almost- *looks at Hibiya and Hiyori*), even the ones I thought I wouldn't care for at first...

Flashback Shintarou was quite the character too. I like Shintarou in the present, honest I do, but man if Flashback Shintarou wasn't an asshole! ^^; There's being cocky and then there's being mean cocky! Shintarou was mean cocky! Why did he have to be so denigrating towards Takane? What did he gain from humiliating her so badly in front of Haruka? It's not like Takane had been smug about being 2nd place in the national tournament. In fact, she'd downright gone out of her way to hide the fact! Why then did Shintarou feel the need to put her in her place and so utterly demolish her at her own game?

The final portion of the episode left me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I'm sad that the end of the episode was a rushed montage of scenes. Shaft was obviously pressed for time -- this week's episode skipped the OP and ED credits as well as the usual fairy tale segment -- but it still would've been nice if we could've properly seen the next school year play out, Shintarou's and Ayano's first year in high school and Takane's and Haruka's second or third.

But on the other hand, I was really delighted by this segment. For starters, the song felt like it symbolically fit the scene by virtue of how night-and-day opposite Enomoto Takane's personality it seemed to be. The Takane we'd met in the episode had been bitchy, hardcore, serious, etc. Yet this song sounded like a tropical smile! It really showed just how much Takane's next year of life (between meeting Ayano and Haruka's possible medical crisis) was magical to her, was like a vacation to the tropics for her soul.

Getting to see Tateyama join the kids in a number of scenes, namely the snowball fight, not only shows that he was "one of the gang" despite the decades that separated him from the other children but I guess also shows how much of a surrogate father he was to these kids. Despite some of my earlier ramblings about possibly sinister doings by our good friend the science teacher, I'd like to think that scenes like the snowball fight scene show that Tateyama is a good person who genuinely loves children and wants to be their friend, their mentor, their crutch, etc.

Kinda surprised that if Ayano and Takane knew each other so well (as clearly they did) that Ayano wouldn't have invited Takane to join the red eyes club. In fact, it's still strange to me that a piece of software like Ene got to join even though she shouldn't have red eyes (and certainly hasn't demonstrated having them yet). Takane on the other hand very well could. Anyway, I'm speculating about Ayano having not invited Takane simply because we've been told by Kido that the Blindfold Brigade was founded by Ayano and that its first three recruits were Kido, Kano, and Seto, with Marry being the fourth recruit and -- years later -- Momo the fifth. How strange then that Ayano wouldn't have invited Takane! Guess we'll find out more on this later, e.g. if it's confirmed that Takane doesn't have the red eyes ability despite being a major character in the story whereas the artificial intelligence based on her does.

The rushed montage credits sequence combined with abrupt chipper music is what cemented my fear that people would think this is filler, so I'm glad and relieved you liked/were able to draw character development from it. =) Personally I would've loved to see more "Yuukei Quartet" funtimes myself. I didn't get the Halloween portion at first, but that had to have been Sensei in the costume, right? He really can be pretty awesome and must be close to his students to pull those kinds of stunts - considering there are only two of them. (Not to mention the way he pirouetted earlier in the episode and just landed casually on Haruka's desk, lol.) The snowball fight was cute too and shows how the kids reciprocate by beating up on their teacher (and in Ayano's case, her father XP). Plus you can tell from Shintaro's gakuran that he and Ayano are still in middle school, which means the four all became friends straight away. \o/ Also Ayano teaching Takane girly things like how to make Valentine's chocolates, and shooing away the boys = d'aw. (Of course Shin wouldn't be interested in that sort of thing... *inb4 he was actually hiding down the hall*)

On the Mekakushi Dan, I actually just learned some interesting new info regarding the origins and timeline of the brigade from the fifth novel myself. So it might be clarified later. At any rate, Jin has stated that you don’t need to have red eyes in order to join the Mekakushi Dan for all the lonely fans out there who want to consider themselves part of the gang.

We start off the episode with this fucking obnoxious bit about Takane running through a town getting demolished. This was nothing but nonsense. Even if it symbolizes something that's going to happen in the future (which I'm pretty sure it isn't!), it's just a waste of time and silly. This was just a cheap attempt at getting people to think the episode is edgy and cool. Fucking nonsense.

The rest of the episode was okay. Nothing great. I think the theme of this week's episode was "The past is better than the present.". Takane was much less annoying than Ene, and Shintarou was a much better character than he is in present. In present, Shintarou is your typical beta harem protagonist (without a harem). Past, he's a snide, cold asshole with the skills to back that shit up! Kido was charming too.

I would have liked to see how the group of 4 friends interacted with each other the next school year. Maybe it'll happen next episode?

Also I can't believe it took me this long to realize that Konoha is Okabe Rintarou.

This is more what I'm talking about. Finally a taste of delicious despair~ (Episode 04 doesn't count.) ...I realize I'm coming at this with a biased perspective, seeing as I know background that makes a lot of this episode more impactful. Some of which I'll try to explain. So let's take this step by step.

We start off with Takane rushing to Haruka's bedside after hearing he fell ill, confirming he did indeed have an attack. Feeling guilty, she goes back to the classroom to gather his things. There she runs into Ayano, who shows off some fabulous SHAFT poses (it's clear where Kido gets it from maybe) and reveals some fun facts about Shintaro (I knew about the shoujo manga, but of course he'd be bad at P.E. even before becoming a HikiNEET XP) before offering Takane some encouragement and yuri.

"If you get rejected, I'll give you a boob shoulder to cry on."

Realizing her feelings, Takane starts to run back to the hospital, but all of a sudden collapses in the hallway. Before passing out, she sees her teacher standing over her, and the last thing she whispers is...

"Haruka... I love you."

The next part is a bit rushed/skipped. I do worry that due to the time constraints the animé just isn't going to cover everything in detail, and if new viewers want a full explanation of what's happening they're going to have to look to the other mediums to get the entire picture.

At any rate, Ene confirms that she lost her body and ended up as an A.I., but she doesn't remember how. Ene shows a much softer side to her, saying that even though she has regrets, she's happy with the way things are now. Despite losing her physical capabilities, she's making the best of her situation (much like Haruka, who I'll get to in a bit). This gets back to what I was trying to say earlier, which I feel safe coming out with now since it seems we've passed the point of the animé clarifying further:

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilbluecorsola

Takane's current grouchy demeanor stems at least in part from her medical condition. So if we're to talk about what her "real personality" is, perhaps it would resemble the bright and cheerful Ene more if she were healthy... Reflecting how you describe the Haruka-Konoha dynamic, they're not exactly polar opposites. Rather similar enough that they could still be considered the same person in a way, but "different" due to outside circumstances.

She also admits that part of the reason she acts this way/doesn't want to reveal her true identity is for Shintaro's sake. For all her over-the-top obnoxiousness, she is actually trying hard to be the energetic driving force Ayano said he needed to pull him along/help him open up again after his best friend's death. Remember in the first episode before receiving Ene his room was filled with trash bags and he looked like he hadn't slept in days, but in the present his space is at least clean and he can converse with her in a lighthearted manner. Though he claims she's annoying, I'm sure he's secretly grateful to have her companionship in his life, and it's clear she's had some positive impact on it since they met even if she has to boss him around to get him to change. Despite the fact he was an ass/her rival and she likes to tease him in revenge for that, she really cares a lot about him as a friend.

Poor little shit Shin looks so sad and helpless and cute in his hoodie I just want to hug him damnit.

This shot probably hit me the hardest, surprisingly. It was only for a second, but we can see just how deeply Ayano's suicide affected him. He blames himself tremendously for reasons that will hopefully be seen. Hell, not only did he lose his not-girlfriend, but all three of the few people he could possibly call "friends" at once - however close they were. That's some Tomoya magical city-level trolling shit right there. *shot* Up to now I wasn't sure whether he was even aware of Takane's and Haruka's "deaths", and the fact he apparently isn't is perhaps even more messed up in a way... To think he might still be under the impression those two are at least alive and doing well somewhere... Maybe it hurts/makes him even more lonely that they didn't even "bother to check in" on him in two years. =/

Anyway, backtracking a bit to the scene at the graveyard. I just want to point out a couple little things that made me laugh before moving onto more serious stuff (because I don't want to only talk about that and I need some humor, however lame):

1) Kano trying to get Ene to remember them by comparing heights... And then her reaction upon realization. XP How could she not have recognized ghost girl Kido, she's wearing the exact same thing! Also man, that poor soda can... I also love how Kano eagerly asked which "cute brother" Ayano talked about. And Marry trying to squeeze in as well.

2) Kano acting like a creepy dork as usual by spouting something as cliché as "this must be fate" and running his hands through his air. Kano pls.

3) Ene getting pushed aside by Seto's phone call was super-cute. (Hey, frog-man is finally back! Although we only hear his voice... Can't believe Jin said we'd see more of Seto in the animé only for him to run off and disappear like that. >.>; ) I liked Momo's reaction to her brother having "friends" as well. (And later she repeats it with seriousness...)

*phew* Okay, back after the break. After the girls leave to "play Ghost" and Kano sends them off with a cheerful "Take care!", he has a heartfelt moment speaking to his sister's grave by himself. He then busts Ene for eavesdropping, and after hearing her story, scolds her further for "forcing" Shintaro to forget Ayano and for forgetting about Haruka herself. He then drives the knife wound in deeper by turning *into* Haruka (explaining the strange tone of voice he used during the preview).

You little shit.

After all that, we finally reach the tip of the actual title of the episode: "Konoha's State of the World", showing Haruka's transition into Konoha. His side of the story has never been seen before, so witnessing the amount of pain and suffering he apparently went through during the transformation was a shock to me. The voice acting was good, and while the animation still wasn't great or anything, it was certainly dramatic. (Although speaking of questionable animation, lol what is up with Kano's ear here? Also when he stood up the gravestones were bigger than him...)

"No, give it back... Give my body back!"

So let's talk about Haruka. What was most surprising to me was that Haruka boldly declared that he didn't want a strong body that wasn't his own. I always thought that Konoha was his "ideal", as game characters are often an escape from reality, and given the choice he would take the option of having a healthy (heck, why not superhuman) body even if it wasn't originally his. (Bit of trivia: Konoha likes to play baseball with neighborhood kids - a simple physical sport/pastime Haruka would probably have trouble with.) But here he proves me wrong, rejecting his so-called "wish".

Something I wish the animé had more time to portray is that the reason Takane fell in love with Haruka (at least in the manga) is that even though he has a chronic illness that prevents him from doing many things, pushing him to the brink of death countless times - he still smiles and enjoys life to the fullest. In the manga he even collapses on his Birthday (the day before Christmas) and is forced to miss several days of school throughout the year, his condition worsening as time goes on. (Whereas in the show it seems Takane's unaware of just how bad it is. She worried about him a lot more in the manga, afraid when he took too long to give Shintaro the prize that he collapsed somewhere - only for him to arrive back with an armful of food. XP) Despite the fact his life is constantly at risk, he never complains (perhaps so as not to worry those around him - even though this scene clearly shows he'd like to be normal so he can participate in activities with his friends). His body is weak but his will to not let it beat/get him down is strong - and I think that's a very valid reason to like and admire someone.

In the end, we also get strong indication that Haruka holds feelings in return, stating "I want to see you, Takane" in his final moments. The two mirror each other in many ways... One loses her body, the other gains a better one - but in exchange for his memories. In that regard, can he even be called "himself" anymore? It's a question, as well as where the pair will go from here...

No insert song this week surprisingly, so I can't link a PV today either. Guess I was wrong when I said the animé would just present "the songs in animated form"...

I'm not really sure how I felt about this episode. I'm starting to feel stuff, and the Takane/Haruka plot was sad, but I felt it was a tiny bit too rushed. Little revelation of "Konoha's State of World" was disappointing. I thought they would present some background about Konoha and play his song or something. Maybe that will be saved to Episode 8, along with the unseen parts of Headphone Actors. I'm dying to listen but Yuki keeps 'no'ing me xd

So in the beginning, Haruka's collapse. Apparently he collapsed and it was revealed he does indeed have a body condition that makes him weak. Takane feels hugely guilty about it and doesn't have the face to meet him. So she runs back to class to get his stuff just to 'avoid' him in a sense.

What's with Ayano and all her weird poses? During the raw livestream I was also constantly pointing how Ayano's Scarf is like... flying, or levitating and generally going against gravity. Unless I'm misreading. I think she had a head-tilt moment. Are heads supposed to be like that? xd

So she cheers Takane up and Takane goes to class. But something strikes and she collapses, seeing Sensei in front of her before she changes. One thing to note is how Sensei now has his coat, not sure about its relevance but hey it's worth noting. Also, when Takane ran off, Sensei's face was hidden in the shadows, so his expression couldn't be seen, making him seem a bit ominous.

So thread thingys wrapping themselves around Takane. Girl-in-the-fairy-tale appearing and Takane goes forward in time to become... Ene! Everyone is surprised and stuff. There doesn't seem to be too many things to note there, so I'm just going to talk a tiny bit on it.

1) The Kano Can: Wow, this series likes their Can and Sodas. IIRC this happened in episode 3 where Kano is symbolised by a Can and gets stepped on by Kido.

2) Kano being gross: Some people might fangirl over it, but the girls over there are just like "ew..."

3) SETOOOOO: YOU'RE BACK. IM SO SAD YOU NEED TO APPEAR MORE ;;

4) ONII-CHAN HAS FRIENDS?

Well, it was pretty meh. Marry had very little lines. I'm now contemplating her IQ, because wow she's adorkable.

I think Kano's solitary time, things began to pick up again. Why did he say "It would be hard to clean up at night?" or something. Is it a tradition or something? Or is it a series-exclusive thing? People probably don't want to be at graveyards at time I guess.

However, what struck me the most was the implication that all three of them died on the same day. Takane met Ayano, shortly after she killed herself. Haruka also died in his transformation to Konoha, or something. Which is rather confusing.

Also worth pointing out was Sensei. He is confirmed or showed canon to have red eyes. Or eye actually. I think only one eye is shown to be red, similar to the opening. I don't really see the point to be hiding how he has 'a pair of red eyes'. So something happened to the other, or he was only given half. This invokes the possibility of red eyes being hereditary, which would suggest Ayano having red eyes as well. Unless I'm mistaken, Ayano has two while her father is shown to only have one. So something has happened there. I'm curious as to what his powers are, and I really want him to appear in the present to clear things up. Given how it was implied the night when Haruka died was the night Ayano died, he is taking it strangely calmly how his daughter and two of his students died at the same time. I'm guessing he met Takane first, then Haruka died. Even if it's the other way around, his ominous smile doesn't seem to make a lot of sense.

Speaking of which, is he working as a normal teacher now? I don't recall seeing any other forms of life in Momo's school other than her and Sensei. Is Momo a special kid or something? Or it could probably just be budget restraint.

It seems like Kano transformed into Haruka. His voice sounds Kano and doesn't fit Haruka's voice and attitude. Then it went back in time and Haruka made the transformation into Konoha. It seems like he is described as an 'empty husk' now that harbours life, which is all in all a depressing thought, given how Konoha probably has no memories of Takane.

In conclusion, it was a generally good episode all in all. Not my favourite, but far from the worst. At least I'm starting to develop a feel not called joy for the anime, it was a tiny bit depressing. Still nothing really compared to Nagi's time skip, lol.

I think Kano's solitary time, things began to pick up again. Why did he say "It would be hard to clean up at night?" or something. Is it a tradition or something? Or is it a series-exclusive thing? People probably don't want to be at graveyards at time I guess.

The RAW streamer had something interesting to say about this. Reading her analyses is always insightful, as I find myself agreeing on several fronts/making the same observations. What follows is mostly speculation that may be somewhat influenced by spoilers, but the top box is safe to expand, as it has root in real-life customs:

It's possible part of the reason Kano got angry at and emotionally abused Ene is because he wanted time alone to pay respects to his dear sister, but she intruded on his private moment and started asking questions about other things. In addition, his other siblings were either already absent or forced to leave due to an emergency. Even if it's irrational, he might feel like he's the only one bothering to try and really remember Ayano. From his monologue and the way he calls her "Nee-chan" (compared to Kido's "Oneesan"), it's clear he was close to her and loved her a whole lot. While it could be that he's trying to force Ene to confront reality rather than running away, I'm starting to think he's the one most stuck in the past - unable to move on while everyone else is changing around him...

I have just started to watch this yesterday, and just watched the first two episodes. On the three now. I liked the characters I have seen so far, and the art style, music and stuff. I liked almost everything. Except the fact it sounds confusing as heck, but considering it's just two episodes I have watched so far. Can I assume it gets better on the near future?

I have just started to watch this yesterday, and just watched the first two episodes. On the three now. I liked the characters I have seen so far, and the art style, music and stuff. I liked almost everything. Except the fact it sounds confusing as heck, but considering it's just two episodes I have watched so far. Can I assume it gets better on the near future?

Welcome! Glad to have you on board. =)

The series is intended to be confusing, and I can't say the animé has done a much better job of making things clearer at this point. Kagepro is basically a multi-media project, and in order to get a full understanding of what is happening it's best to be familiar with all the canon sources. Hopefully the show can still provide a satisfactory stand-alone story for newbies, and support interest in the other mediums.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to answer/clarify to the best of my ability if it's something contained within the show. (Keep in mind even fans such as myself don't know many things, as the series is still ongoing.) I would encourage speculating with fellow viewers as well. There's also a chat group on Skype for open/slightly more spoiler-liberal discussion plus lots of fanart if you'd like to join.

The series is intended to be confusing, and I can't say the animé has done a much better job of making things clearer at this point. Kagepro is basically a multi-media project, and in order to get a full understanding of what is happening it's best to be familiar with all the canon sources. Hopefully the show can still provide a satisfactory stand-alone story for newbies, and support interest in the other mediums.

May I ask which are those kanon sources? I'm just following the anime, but a friend of mine had gave me a link to this place here, which has some spoilers, so beware: Boohoo
It clarifies a bit, and made things a tad bit clear for me, but I'm still lost, haha! Okay, with episode seven they pretty much summarised how the characters stand for each other and such. Besides, it's cool to have such a plot. As long as you can understand what is all about in the end. I thought Evangelion was confusion, but this one is certainly starting to be more, haha!

Quote:

If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to answer/clarify to the best of my ability if it's something contained within the show. (Keep in mind even fans such as myself don't know many things, as the series is still ongoing.) I would encourage speculating with fellow viewers as well. There's also a chat group on Skype for open/slightly more spoiler-liberal discussion plus lots of fanart if you'd like to join.

I'd love too! Sadly, Skype is not working on my computer and I may not be able too. So, I'll stay on the thread, I guess.
And yep! Once I get more courage, I'll participate on this one a bit more.
I don't have any questions as off now, but I will have plenty if the show keep going that way, hehe.

Wow, first time someone's called me "Blue" off the bat in a while. XD Approve of the Avatar choice btw. ^~

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akanjão

May I ask which are those kanon sources? I'm just following the anime, but a friend of mine had gave me a link to this place here, which has some spoilers, so beware: Boohoo
It clarifies a bit, and made things a tad bit clear for me, but I'm still lost, haha! Okay, with episode seven they pretty much summarised how the characters stand for each other and such. Besides, it's cool to have such a plot. As long as you can understand what is all about in the end. I thought Evangelion was confusion, but this one is certainly starting to be more, haha!

In order of increasing depth/comprehensiveness they provide:

1) Songs

2) Manga

3) Novels

Looking over the link you provided, it seems to reference all of them/suggests when to check out each, which is nice. My personal experience/recommendation might be a bit different, but there's no real right way to go about it. (Though I can't say I agree with everything the poster has said. I'll talk more about it at the end of the show, as I'll probably have to dump all the remaining PVs that weren't shown anyway - it's possible the animé might not have time to connect all the dots and leave some things up to the viewer in the end. Which is how the songs pretty much are, and the overall series is still ongoing as well. Really, most of what we have to go by is just rumors and speculation, so it's understandable fans' interpretations are different.)

Let me ask to gauge where you are right now: Did you do as described and follow all the instructions? As in watched the videos + read the supplementary material such as the manga/novel excerpts? Let me know which ones you have and haven't seen/read so it'll be easier for me to discuss without spoiling (which is already very difficult anyway XP).

Btw, was it Kamen who directed you to the link? He told me he was the one who recommended you the animé.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akanjão

I'd love too! Sadly, Skype is not working on my computer and I may not be able too. So, I'll stay on the thread, I guess.
And yep! Once I get more courage, I'll participate on this one a bit more.
I don't have any questions as off now, but I will have plenty if the show keep going that way, hehe.

Thanks again for such a warm welcome!

Aw, that's too bad. But do feel free to participate in the thread. =) We're a welcome community and I'm happy to have more people getting together and posting. The more the merrier!

Wow this was a really, really crazy episode. Especially compared to the last six, this one is far more dark and despairing. It really was, to me, a punch in the gut and kinda took me by surprise. I figured it was coming but nothing like this.

First off, we see that Haruka is indeed sick, and more over, Takane feels absolutely terrible about leaving him like that. She goes back to the school, and her and Ayano have a bit of a talk to talk which leads Takane to realize what she wants with Haruka. She finally feels the joy...and then she falls to the ground, barely able to keep herself conscious, and the teacher stands over her with a smile. Fucking creepy, but I have my theories on that. Takane passes out, and from there she is turned into Ene through some sort of unknown means and we ends up back in the present day, and its actually Ene telling her story to everyone else. To everyone's shock! Things go pretty well until things start to go nuts with Kano.

Fuck Kano. I don't care if he's a broken bird, he's fucking nuts and he shouldn't hurt my poor Ene like that! :< He displays this really creepy, almost malicious side to him that I really don't like. Is this the real Kano? Is it just acting out? Who knows, but fuck him. *karate chops Kano*

Konoha's State of the World was pretty chilling as well. After watching that scene I immediately went on the chat and just typed "...what the actual fuck." That scene was so dark. Like I couldn't see.

On Takane becoming Ene: First off, hehe I was right. Beyond that, I'm pretty sure that's Tateyama's doing. We see in one scene where again a shadow falls over half of someone's face and we see a red eye, and considering we've seen Ayano's red eyes I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to assume that Tateyama has them too. If he was the one to turn her into Ene, I wonder why he did it? Was it to free her from her illness? Keep her away from Haruka? Just for kicks? I actually have a different reason entirely. He was protecting her. From what do you say?

Ayano: Ayano's is probably the most confusing character in the series, but its really interesting that we see this very dark, almost evil like girl who looks a lot like Ayano from what I can tell. It makes me wonder if Ayano has a very evil side to her that's either part of her personality, or a side-effect of her eye power. I pretty firmly believe that the evil girl that featured in this episode is Ayano in some form. Did she kill herself because of the things she did? Was she trying to stop herself from hurting other people, like Shinugget?

Haruka turning into Konoha: In contrast to Ene's transformation, which was bright and full of Glorious light, Konoha's is very, very dark, foreboding, and malevolent. Someone speaks to him and offers a new body for him, which he refuses at first but once its taken away from him he changes his mind. To which his gift is he will have the body he has always wanted but his memories will disappear.

I believe this was the evil side of Ayano doing this to Haruka, and that's why Tateyama turned Takane into Ene, to protect her from his daughter.

Kano: Kano is interesting because of how he was able to mimic Haruka perfectly. The anime shows they probably only had about maybe five seconds on contact together, so the question is, how the hell was he able to do it? I don't think his power is so omniscient that he doesn't have to remember someone in order to look like them, and if that is the case, exactly how familiar is he with Haruka? He also stays behind to talk to Ayano. Is it possible that Kano knows about Ayano's evil side? Did she confess to him at the last minute? He's odd, and I think he might just be the missing piece to the puzzle.

So apparently Microsoft is teaming up with Kagerou Project for some sort of tablet promotion. Forgot/didn't know it was launching on May 30th. Since I already shared the OP lyric video, may as well link the CM here while I'm at it? (Note: Contains a spoiler as of episode 06/07.)

So Lost Time Memory, also called by the Skypees No Time Memory (poking fun at the time constraints). It was painfully obvious towards the end that it's really no time memory. Either way, this episode was pretty okay-good, somewhat around Episode 7's standards in my opinion, as it seems to reveal some things.

When Truck-senpai was about to hug Konoha/Hiyori/Hibiya trio, Shintaro says how they just... disappeared? I think he was referring to Konoha and Hiyori, and they're eaten up by the snake. So stuff happened inside the snake that we don't know (perhaps this links to Episode 4?), but it is shown only Hibiya gets back alive, or Konoha disappeared somewhere idk.

Where is Konoha amongst all this? If Episode 4 was what happened inside the snake when they get truck-senpai'd, wouldn't Konoha appear with Hibiya/Hiyori in the time loops. For all we know he could use his superpowers to lift that truck up and toss it and crush it and wee everyone is happy.

Either way, we get a good grasp on how red eyes are developed. Apparently you're close to dying and a snake eats you, and you enter into a terrifying SHAFT-animated world where things don't make sense. Whoever makes it out alive gets a 'punishment' in red eyes, but whoever doesn't gets... idk. Stuck in there forever?

So in a very creepy way Hibiya gets eye power, by escaping the snake, while Hiyori and presumably Konoha gets stuck in the snake forever, and all the other members development of eye powers are revealed:

Kido - in a fire
Kano - when he and his mother was attacked by burglars
Seto - when he and his dog almost drowned
Momo - sea

From these cases Kido's sister gets stuck there, Kano's mother (?) gets stuck in the snake, Seto's dog (is that even possible lol) gets stuck in the snake and Momo's father gets stuck in the snake. All four can make a happy family wow

And add Hiyori, what a nice couple with two daughters and one dog *shot repeatedly*

So towards the end we see little Shitaro pedoing looking after Marry in the room. And... portrait of Ayano!

Then stuff happen I can't even describe what's happening all I know is that SHAFT is really low on budget and time and went 'screw that animating shit' let's just combine lots of manga panels into one AMV and cover the plot, lol.

From the AMV I savaged Marry with wings and looking creepy, Shintaro in front of a coffin or something, a gun, someone standing in front of Momo with an outstretched hand. Blah, this should've been a 24 episode anime.

Also, with the somewhat implied of Ene having an eye power (though it was revealed what it was), I think it might be safe to assume that Headphone Actors was Ene's experience inside the snake, similar to Hibiya and Kagerou Days.

Right now I'm on a rage because apparently they're going to the beach next episode, at episode 09/12 when a lot of things are left unexplained, especially since I have information on some stuff, we're reaaaaaaaaaally tight on time.

Ayano - she was shown to have red eye powers, yet she was dead. And if Kagerou Days was what happened in the snake, how did she even get in anyways? I mean, sure, she could've developed them before she died, but eh... When she died, she should be, like, dead, not being able to hop from snake!world and death world. Idk, confusing. I'm going to go ahead and guess that she 'died' into the snake world and remained there for some unknown reasons, and encountered Hibiya there. But that would suggest she developed eye powers before dying (which is possible since hereditary. Also, all the talks with Shintaro on huge gears are confusing and nothing has been said on that by Shintaro. Huh.

So, Yuki is twisting my arm to make me post my still not at all fleshed out theories here so.

Shintaro is the Key. As it stands right now, it seems to me that Shintaro seems to be the key to everything which is happening. The small AMV at the end depicted what seemed to be him dying numerous times, and this is what has inspired this thought. I believe Shintaro must stay alive. I believe that every time he dies, a new continuity is spawned and everything soft resets to a period preceding Ayano's death but predating Shintaro's own death. This is strongly linked to Ayano, which I'll discuss shortly.

The Void!World. First things first - I believe this must be entered as a pair for either party to have a chance of escaping. If you enter it alone, you become like Ayano - trapped within the world, although possessing of an eye power as a consequence. This is supported in that all of the current Kagerou who have been established to have gained their eye powers as a consequence of near death experience have always had a close friend/family member with them. Kano and his mother. Kido and her sister. Momo and her father. Seto and his dog. Hibiya and Hiyori. It's a massive, recurring theme. If Ayano entered by committing suicide, it's evident that she can't escape like those four did. As a consequence, I think the resetting timelines are likewise linked to that. Shin was meant to be the pair for Ayano in her death, but for some reason he never did. I'm convinced that at some point Shin will enter the Void!World and meet Ayano with his memories intact. What happens then, I have no idea.

Something else about the Void!World is that I am certain that the 'Monster' that created it is the very same black haired lady who appeared before Takane and Haruka. We know from the small excerpts at the end of each episode that the 'Monster' eventually went on to have a family. This is where one of our most adorable little Kagerou comes in. I believe Marry is a descendant of that 'Monster', and that said 'Monster' is in fact a Medusa. The snakes and hair design are both huge giveaways, as well as the scales on her face. I was possessed of this notion at first, and of the latest episode I'm even more convinced. When Marry appeared behind Shin, she had identical scales to him, and it seemed she was using an even more powerful version of her eye power to freeze people in place. In short - I think Marry has killed Shin in the latest episode, turning him entirely into stone by using some sort of upgraded version of her eye power.

Well, it looks like I'm a week and a half late on this post. Originally I'd intended for the post to go up the night of the 24th. Then the 25th. The post just kept falling behind schedule and I decided I wanted to rewatch the episode to refresh my memory on the finer points I'd wanted to discuss. While I took notes during this second viewing, I can't help but to feel like I'm forgetting a lot of the tiny but eye-opening points I'd wanted to discuss originally. :\ So, for that I apologize. Also, I know that Yuki has been holding off posting about Episode 08 until I wrote this post. So for that, I apologize too.

Two last things. First, I still haven't seen Episode 08. I didn't want watching 08 to influence my post for 07 in any way. Second, as always, I haven't read any of your guys' posts for Episode 07 yet. I like to write my posts first (so that they're unbiased by any outside influences) and then go back and read what others had to say. So, I apologize if I offer absolutely nothing new in these posts (because you all discussed them in your 07 posts) or if I go barking up wrong trees (because 08 has revealed new details).

With all of that said, let's get to discussing the episode!

The episode opens with small little things Tateyama does that make one uncomfortable. The quizzical head tilt of his would be humorous ... but for the fact that he does it in response to Takane crying tears of mixed relief and shame over the fact that Haruka is going to be okay but that it's her fault he didn't get medical help sooner. Like, this should not invite quizzical looks from a teacher. ^^; This should be a fairly understandable response by a young girl in love. Yet Tateyama looks at Takane as though he doesn't even understand what love is, as though it's an alien concept to him, one he finds baffling, perplexing.

Then there's this: Tateyama's smile as Takane races back towards school. Again, it's a normal behavior that is completely abnormal for this time and place, and that's what makes it so eerie. Why is he smiling at her when she's clearly distressed? Why does his smile lack the warmth of a parent or mentor smiling at a child who is in love? His smile seems almost gleeful, like an "All according to plan " sort of smile. This foreshadows nicely for what's to come and does a great job of setting the audience slightly on edge -- but not too on edge -- for the next three to five minutes while the audience waits for Tateyama to make his next appearance.

Ayano is such an enigma. For the most part she appears to be a very cute, kind, pure-hearted girl. But there are these frequent flashes in the future, and these occasional flashes even in the past, where she seems to be downright ominous. Which one is the real Ayano? What is going on? Questions to be answered by future episodes.

This scene, with Ayano and Takane talking after school, all but cements for me an impression that had been building up by this point. Since there are variations on this impression though, I'll break it down into its separate theories:

Ayano represents Jin's impression of most men's (or at the very least otakudom's) dream girl, the ideal waifu. Takane, on the other hand, represents who Jin himself wants to marry.

Ayano is Jin's personal dream girl. Takane is the girl Jin has realized he needs or whom hsi friends and family tell him he needs.

Whether it's the first theory that's correct or whether it's the second theory, I get the strong impression that Jin is projecting personal views of his or histories he's had with women onto these characters. Whiiiiiiiiiich ... makes sense when you think about it. ^^; Writing is a deeply personal endeavor, even when you least expect it to be. You draw from your personal experiences and impressions when building up a fictional world, a cast of characters, and a story to tell. Even our imaginations are largely based in our ability to permute things we have previously witnessed or experienced.

While we're on the topic, another place where I feel Jin has projected himself into his own writing is with Hibiya. That whole situation with Hibiya's unrequited love of the super-bitch Hiyori ... it's something I feel was personally experienced by Jin in some form or another.

"Because even if you want to tell him and want to be with him, sometimes that's not enough." Sounds like Jin is expressing a personally-held view here via Ayano. I really get the impression that he put himself and his personal experiences into this scene.

It's kind of strange that Ayano cheers on Takane (who is hoping to hook up with Haruka) whn she just finished all but proclaiming, "I think a girl like you would be the perfect fit for Shintarou, Takane." Why is she pushing so had for Haruka x Takane in that case? Is it out of a selfish concern that Takane would be a better wife for Shintarou than she would and thus she wants to remove Takane from the pool of eligible bachelorettes as soon as possible? Is it something else?

I don't want to be too hasty though with my judgment of Tateyama. It remains unclear whether this man is evil and has been taking advantage of the children or whether he's actually their ally and is trying to help them out. Obviously scenes like this one point to the interpretation that he's evil, but this wouldn't be the first time that Jin has surprised us with a twist. For Tateyama to be evil, some of the things which must be explained include:

Why would he kill his own daughter? If he didn't, and if she really committed suicide, then why would he drive her to commit suicide or at the very least not prevent her from committing suicide?

Why wouldn't he have killed Haruka when he had the chance all of those many previous times? IIRC we're told that this isn't the first time that Tateyama has taken Haruka to the hospital after he's suffered a medical crisis. So ... why didn't he have the witch lady transform Haruka then? Why wait until now?

Same question for Ayano: if Tateyama killed his own daughter, why did he wait until now to do it? Why wouldn't he have killed her any of the other times he's had opportunities to over the years?

Why would he pick so many targets from Kagerou High? Wouldn't that lead the authorities straight to him?

Why would he go to Haruka's bedside if he was going to have the witch lady consume Haruka's body? (This is if Haruka's body's been consumed.) Wouldn't that invite accusations from Haruka's family that Tateyama disposed of Haruka's body?

So on and so forth. A lot of naggling questions. For Tateyama to be evil, it seems like he has to have been rather sloppy. But don't get me wrong! If you asked me at this point, "Talon, do you think Tateyama is a good guy or a bad guy?", the developments in Episode 07 definitely steer me towards believing him to be the series' primary villain.

Looks like Connor was right about the connection between death and becoming a Kagerou. Maybe. It's still not 100% confirmed yet or anything, but with scenes like this one with Takane it is looking more and more likely.

I'm still unclear though as to whether Tateyama murdered Takane (e.g. with a poison), whether he allowed her to die but wasn't directly responsible for her death (e.g. he just stood by and watched while she suffered a heart attack), or what.

Takane's rebirth as Ene. Not a fan of the new personality, as I've noted several times before. While I can see glimmers of Takane in her, I still feel like Ene is an almost entirely different person.

The scene with Ene, Kido, and Kano recognizing one another after some thought. I find it a little hard to believe that Ene, with all of her cyber powers and with her knowledge of Ayano having stepbrothers and a stepsister, would not have discovered what Kido looked like. I also find it a little hard to believe that, given how computers operate, Ene would not have recognized that Kido's profile matched that of the "ghost girl" in her database, that Kano's profile would not have matched that of the ghost girl's escort, etc. But whatever. If Episode 06 showed us anything two and a half weeks ago, it's that Jin either doesn't grasp technology very well or else (more likely) he just doesn't care and will sub realism out for fantasy whenever and wherever it suits his purposes as a storyteller. And so far this hasn't been that bad either, so I can live with it.

Marry's line, "What about me? :o" XD Adorable. Also hilarious.

Momo's obsession with Ene calling Shintarou "Master." This has probably got two layers to it, one obvious, the other hidden behind a language barrier for some of you. The obvious layer is that Momo is bothered by the fact that one of Shintarou's seniors is addressing him as Master. After all, even in English it would be pretty weird if someone who was your best friend in high school / college and one year older than you showed up later in your life as someone you didn't recognize and started calling you Master. ^^;

The other layer is that the word goshujin-sama, 御主人様, is used in another way as well. Not only does it mean Master ... it's also the traditional word used for "husband." More accurately, Japanese women used to refer to their husbands as Master (goshujin-sama). As the husband was the lord of the household. And thus this word was best translated into English, contextually, as "husband." A cultural shift has been observed in recent decades in Japan as goshujin-sama, danna-sama, and other words which also mean "Master" have fallen out of favor as words like 夫 otto that don't have the "Master" secondary meaning have gained popularity. Anyway, the point is that the word goshujin-sama doubles as both "Master" in a master/servant relationship and "husband" in a husband/wife relationship -- and thus Ene's referring to Shintarou constantly as Goshujin-sama, while it originally leaned heavily in the direction of the master/servant usage back when everyone believed her to be nothing more than an artificial intelligence which served Shintarou, now starts to lean a little less heavily in that direction and a little more heavily in the direction of "Husband/my husband" now that everyone knows Ene is actually a real person, opposite gender of Shintarou, approximately same age as Shintarou, etc. Don't get me wrong! If on a scale of -5 "Husband" to +5 "Master" before the needle was at +4, now it's at like +3, +2.5, somewhere in there. It's not like it's sitting at -3 now. It's just ... I think that Momo and some of the other characters have gone from seeing Ene as this innocuous A.I. to seeing her as a possibly Shintarou-obsessed woman. ^^;

Takane being happy as a program ... hrm. I dunno. While I'm glad that she's not distraught, and while I appreciated the nod to her regret that she never got to experience sexual intercourse before losing her physical body, I'm not too keen on the idea that Takane is perfectly happy remaining Ene forever. I dunno. I guess it should be seen as a refreshing change of pace from the usual way these characters are written in fiction. Fullmetal Alchemist's Alphonse, Howl's Moving Castle's Sophie, Beauty & the Beast's Beast, The Emperor's New Groove's Kuzco ... humans who are transformed into some other state of existence normally want their original bodies back even when their new bodies afford them some potent advantages. But even if it's atypical to have a transformed character be happier in her new form than in her original ... I guess it's atypical for a reason. Because I still don't like it. I still want Ene to become Takane again. I'm still holding out hope that her body exists somewhere in the world, be it in cryostasis in Tateyama's home, be it in a coma in the hospital, be it in the plane of existence where the witch lady operates, wherever. I just want Takane's body to not have become a rotted corpse. I want her to magically be able to go back inside her body and the brain to be in perfect working order, not devastated by oxygen starvation. So on and so forth. I want Takane to be with Haruka -- and while I'll take it in the form of Ene being with Konoha, that isn't what I most desire. I really, really want the two human lovebirds to be reunited.

Takane tells the other Kagerous that she used to be sickly. Really? If this is the case, then I feel like Shaft didn't do a very good job of making that clear. I didn't get the impression that she and Haruka were in the same class together because they both suffered from medical issues. I got the impression from Episode 06 that she and Haruka shared a class reserved for "children with special needs." Haruka's special needs were medical, yes, but Takane's I felt were more mental. That she was in this class, maybe, because she was gifted in some respect but her gift, sort of like an extremely autistic person's, made it difficult for her to interact with other students and even faculty normally. Or perhaps that she was in this class because she was just that dumb -- that even though Jin didn't dwell on it, Takane was perhaps one of the academically least gifted students in the school. Something. If she's been in the same class as Haruka all along because of physical frailty, then it begs the question: why didn't she recognize that Haruka was having a medical crisis? It bugged me to begin with even under the assumption that she was a healthy girl. It's going to bug me ten times more now if I'm being told that she, like Haruka, suffers from a medical condition that could rob her of her life at any moment.

SETO'S PHONE CALL INTERRUPTING KANO. >_< Kano was just about to explain that he and Kido experienced something similar to Takane's experience. Maaaaaaaaaaan! >.<

Marry's face. XD That girl is miles away from the other Kagerous right now. Maybe she's daydreaming about sunfish ...

Kido. XD

Ene says, "He shut himself up in his room right after Ayano died, so he doesn't know that I died or that I used to be Takane." But isn't that strange? Ene talked with Ayano mere minutes before her crisis. And she didn't act like she was seeing a ghost. So what's going on here?

One possible explanation is that Takane and Ayano died on the same day; that Shintarou found out about Ayano's death first; that he holed himself up in his bedroom immediately; and that he never found out that Takane had died as well. But this seems wildly improbable. Wouldn't Shintarou's mother have told Shintarou that Takane had died? Wouldn't Shintarou have found out while surfing the web and (presumably) looking at news reports about the recent student at Kagerou High who died, expecting them to be about Ayano?

Another possible explanation, one hinted at by Shaft's frequent visual clues, is that there are time shenanigans afoot in this series. Too many possible theories to explore within this parent super-theory, so I'll just leave it at that for now.

Kano seems to really care about Ayano. Given what's to follow, it's very strange, stranger even than Ayano's own split personalities.

Kano's poisonous faces. There were a lot of these in this episode. It remains unclear what his deal is but making ugly faces isn't necessarily a--

Well ... that just happened. O_o That final scene with Kano going evilly cruel, tormenting Ene over Haruka ... yeah, this goes beyond making sinister-looking faces. Kano's fox mask smile, a portent of dark things to come since the day we first saw it, is that much sicker to look at now that we've witnessed his dark side.

I think I originally had so, so much more I wanted to say about this scene. When I was fresh off of watching the episode a week and a half ago, I know for a fact that it was the single most exciting scene in an episode filled with exciting scenes. Takane's death and transformation into Ene ... Haruka's death and the birth of the hollow shell Konoha ... these were some of the most exciting things we've seen in Mekakucity Actors yet. But good lord, this scene with Kano and Ene ... boy did it ever take the cake. Why was Kano so determined to shatter Ene's mind? Why was he behaving so cruelly towards her, right there in front of his dearly beloved stepsister's tombstone? What was he thinking!? What is his aim? You don't act like this for no good reason. There has to be a reason he's acting so deranged. Even if that reason is simply, "Because he's deranged. ^_^; Because he's sick in the head. Not all stray kittens are perfect pictures of psychiatric health. Some orphans have got serious, serious problems. Kano is one such child."

Unfortunately, I can't think of what all else I might have wanted to say about this scene. Sorry. Maybe reading some of your guys' posts will jog my memory.

This was the second most "WTF" scene in the episode for me, and it feels strange to have to give it 2nd place because that feels like it's an invalidation of just how fucked up the scene really was. Make no mistake: this was one hell of a dark scene. In a twist on the old horror story trope, "Be careful what you wish for, ;o" Haruka wishes for a stronger body and then, out of nowhere, a lady in black shows up and begins to grant him his wish -- by disintegrating his original body and creating Konoha's body to replace it. When Haruka freaks out, objecting to the woman's actions, does she stop? Does she undo the damage? No. She merely continues what she was doing -- and fucks him over further. "If you don't want it," she tells Haruka, "that is fine. You'll simply become a living husk that has lost all memories of you." What ... the fuck. So you're still going to erase Haruka's original body ... only now you're not even going to transplant his soul into the new body. You're just going to let his soul be stuck in the Shadow Realm and have his new body function like a soulless automaton. What ... the fuck. You just murdered him. You just murdered Haruka. The kid wishes he could have a healthy body like normal kids and for his wish he gets murdered by a genie whose services he never seriously requested. Just ... ugh, wow.

And so, last but most certainly not least ... the witch lady. We still don't know her name, but the character who has more than likely been the star of the bizarre picture book segments at the end of every episode is finally here with us. And while we know little to nothing about her, she appears to be the source of the Kagerous' transformations. She shows up twice in this episode -- first, disassembling Takane's body and rerouting her spirit into the new body known as Ene; second, disassembling Haruka's body, leaving his spirit to rot in the Shadow Realm, and creating a soulless body known as Konoha -- and both times she shows up are times where we witness the genesis of one of the nine Blindfold Brigade members. (Well, Konoha isn't technically a member yet, but the OP credits have long hinted that he'll be Member No.09.)

Who is this strange woman? Time for some crazy theories.

I believe that she has a past with Tateyama. The fairy tale stories are pretty likely about the lady in black. They're narrated by Ayano, suggesting that Ayano somehow came to know about this woman. One possibility is that the woman in black is Tateyama's lover (past if not also present) and is Ayano's mother, that Ayano is the child spoken of in the fairy tale that the "monster" bore. Another possibility is that the woman in black is Tateyama's mother, that he is her loyal son, and that together they are "monsters" in some sense. A third possibility is that they met later in life, that Tateyama is not the lover spoken of in the fairy tale, and that they're cooperating right now to achieve some goal. Maybe none of these theories is correct. Regardless, I do believe that Tateyama has a connection with her given what we've seen in the episodes so far.

I believe that Marry has a connection with her. This is probably one of the many spoilers that we were made privy to by the OP credits that the fans in the know decried. Ever since Episode 01 or 02, we've seen that image of what looks like Marry shrieking in anguish as her face looks like it has cracked lines all over it, a honeycomb of hexagons on her white cheeks. Well, we see that exact same pattern on the lady in black's face. It's been there in the OP, and now in this episode it's shoved right in our faces. (See above.) Since no other characters in the series have had this distinct characteristic, it speaks to some sort of connection between Marry and the mystery woman. Furthermore, I don't think it's an accident that Marry's past is one of the least explored thus far or that, in the very first episode, Marry was the one that Shaft chose to save for last when they showed us that montage of all of the Kagerous looking despondent at sunset. Marry probably plays a larger part in this story than her No.04 status in the Blindfold Brigade lets on. And thus I'm thinking -- Marry could very well be the woman in black's daughter as well. Maybe she is Ayano's full sister, separated at birth, Ayano raised by Tateyama, Marry raised by the woman in black. Maybe she is Ayano's half-sister, and either the girls share the same father (this would explain why Ayano doesn't have the same cheek pattern as Marry and the mystery woman) or else the girls share the same mother. Maybe Ayano isn't the mystery woman's daughter period and only Marry is. Whatever the case, I believe Marry is more than likely the mystery woman's daughter.

I don't believe the woman is really a monster. I think she was labeled as such by human society, presumably because of her amazing powers and her seemingly cold-hearted actions (like what we witnessed her do to Haruka this episode). I could be wrong, but the fairy tale seems to have gone out of its way to set her up as a tragic heroine or antiheroine. Even if she is an antiheroine, she's still a tragic character and one who might come around.

Hey look, a smile where Shin doesn't look like he's about to rape somebody. Maybe.

So I've been holding off on posting about 08 because I was curious to see what people's reactions to it would be without my influence. While I was hoping for more discussion amongst fellow first-time viewers within the thread, I've heard most individual impressions by now, so I'll go ahead and offer my input.

This really should've had more than 12 episodes. =/ "No Time Memory" indeed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilbluecorsola

Hopefully the show can still provide a satisfactory stand-alone story for newbies, and support interest in the other mediums.

*sigh* I give up. ^^; Even SHAFT is basically telling everyone to go check out the songs/manga/novels. >.>; From the start the awkward animation presentation and pacing made it clear that this probably wasn't going to cut it as a solitary production, but I thought they'd at least try to make it accessible to newcomers. So far it seems like the animé just serves as bonus material for the fans. (Even though it's not much - in terms of quality if not content... =3=)

That being said, as a pre-existing fan of the series there were a few things I really liked. So let's talk about some positives.

1) Kido's sister.

This girl is on FAIYAAAAA

It's pretty obvious where the budget for this episode went. (I bet SHAFT got to the end and just went "fuck it, we're AMVing the rest of this shit". =x) It is kinda nice she got the red carpet treatment, since her character has never been seen before. And damn if she isn't hot cool. Kido probably looks up to both her and Ayano as big sisters and is currently trying to be a strong leader like them. (Maybe this is part of where the ponytail comes from...) Knowing some background about their relationship makes this scene even more sentimental, though I'm not sure if the show will expand on it.

The heat never bothered me anyway.

Speaking of which, anyone who's seen Another will know what I expected/dreaded when Kido opened the door in the beginning, only to simply receive a draft. ^^;

2) Dinnertalk at the Base.

Oh my God is that a huge ant on the ceiling.

Skipping past the hospital scene because it's Hibitchya's boring exposition, the conversation between Shintaro, Kido, Momo, and Seto is perhaps my favorite moment in the entire TV series so far. It felt like a "family meeting", with Kido as the doting mother. Even Shintaro seemed sorta fatherly, with Momo remarking on how surprising it is for him to be doing something for another person. Though he complains and drags his feet a lot, he really is a nice guy deep down. We've already witnessed him agreeing to help a total 'stranger', and later he plays the big brother by protecting Momo from her bad memories, as well as tucks Marry in with a blanket. Little touches like these are warming me up to his character. He cares about others, he just has a hard time showing it. For all his awkwardness, he is technically the 'adult' of the group and can act responsible. Sometimes.

You know you love your adorable little sister, Shin. Don't deny it.

Then we've got Kido and Seto offering to feed everyone... Maybe it's because of the beautiful BGM + knowledge that I have, but this part seriously makes me want to cry, moreso than anything seen in the last episode. It honestly brings tears to my eyes seeing how happy they are at the idea of eating in a big group. Like a real family. ='3 When Seto talks about running out of food, it's somewhat funny to me because afaik he's the main bread-earner, so of course he'd be the one paying for all the groceries. XP But it's also sweet since he'd never complain, and I'm sure he'd be willing to take on a little extra load to feed their friends. <3 (Kido is the cook btw, and she's quite moe good at it.)

These two are the only ones who do any work around here... While Kano the crazy uncle is off screwing with cyberchicks. *shot*

And speaking of Kano... Of course Seto runs off again in search of him. Godamnit. >_> Lol at how Kido calls him out on bathroom cleaning duty though. She must have her hands full taking care of these boys...

More cute Kido because I can.

3) The ShinMarry. *shot*

Sleeping Beauty.

More Hibitchya "I have to go fast" and exposition blah blah blah (didn't like how they did the stained glass art fart for it either -.-)... As mentioned before I liked the scene where Shintaro shows kindness to Marry. He even asks if she's changing before entering... How very Kyon-esque. XP Pretty sure it's probably Seto's room though, judging by the layout... (Which begs the question of why they didn't put Shintaro there. ^^; *shrug* For the fanservice, I suppose.) Presumably it's one of the boys' based on the sports stuff, though while I can imagine Seto riding a bike to work, either him or Kano trying to snowboard sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. x.X There was a surfboard in the hallway too. Seriously, how do these kids afford all this crap? o.O; This don't look like no apartment, SHAFT...

Anyway. ...So then this happens during the credits:

Get on your knees and beg, manwhore.

FYI, this is another completely new scene that adds fuel to my own shipping speculation fire. What's she doing to Shintaro? I truly don't know...

Mothertruckin' snakes.

4) The ShinAya. <3

「I still loved you, today too.」

So about those credits... Ignoring the lazy slideshow portions, I enjoyed how they basically re-animated the PV in the beginning and middle. The intro is almost exactly the same as the PV itself (lil Shitaro REJECTION and all), while the part that took place in the classroom was a slightly more unique interpretation. The spinning desks and bright lights/colors were pretty, and the singer really hit his stride here. Lol at how SHAFT had to insert a signature headtilt though.

Thought she was gonna break her neck here...

Ayano was beautiful with her hair down. <3 (Especially when compared to this.)

"Shinjatta gomen ne."

I also liked how gently she gave her scarf to Shintaro in this version... Him still crying out for her hurt my heart for a number of reasons though. =/ And the wiping of the tears was a nice but sad touch... (Also the TV screen shutting off?)

Really wish we could've seen more than just brief glimpses of Shintaro's past/relationship with Ayano... Cute seeing the shota and his dad for the first time I guess. (Lol he's even wearing the black hoodie as a baby.) Did we really need "WELCOME TO MY WOMB" though? ^^; *shot* And what was with all that spazzing at the end, was he having a seizure? XP

So, this leads me into the music. While I figured the entirety of LTM would be off the table due to the time constraints, was hoping to at least link another relevant song after this. =/ Was considering doing so anyway, as there are only a couple minor bits left to be revealed, but seeing as this post has already gotten pretty long (despite how much I anticipated writing - or rather how many images I planned to include XP) and tomorrow's the new ep, I'll hold off for one more day. The preview pics indicate it might be covered then.

The other layer is that the word goshujin-sama, 御主人様, is used in another way as well. Not only does it mean Master ... it's also the traditional word used for "husband." More accurately, Japanese women used to refer to their husbands as Master (goshujin-sama). As the husband was the lord of the household. And thus this word was best translated into English, contextually, as "husband." A cultural shift has been observed in recent decades in Japan as goshujin-sama, danna-sama, and other words which also mean "Master" have fallen out of favor as words like 夫 otto that don't have the "Master" secondary meaning have gained popularity. Anyway, the point is that the word goshujin-sama doubles as both "Master" in a master/servant relationship and "husband" in a husband/wife relationship -- and thus Ene's referring to Shintarou constantly as Goshujin-sama, while it originally leaned heavily in the direction of the master/servant usage back when everyone believed her to be nothing more than an artificial intelligence which served Shintarou, now starts to lean a little less heavily in that direction and a little more heavily in the direction of "Husband/my husband" now that everyone knows Ene is actually a real person, opposite gender of Shintarou, approximately same age as Shintarou, etc. Don't get me wrong! If on a scale of -5 "Husband" to +5 "Master" before the needle was at +4, now it's at like +3, +2.5, somewhere in there. It's not like it's sitting at -3 now. It's just ... I think that Momo and some of the other characters have gone from seeing Ene as this innocuous A.I. to seeing her as a possibly Shintarou-obsessed woman. ^^;

You know, that makes a lot of sense given what happened toward the end of the episode. Incidentally, I decided to comment on this because someone recently pointed out to me that "Japan was a country founded in incest" in citing its mythology: the god Izanagi refers Izanami as "wagimo" (吾妹) which translates to "my wife" but the actual words are a contraction of "waga imouto".